Go Van Go! (Toronto looks pretty good too): Liveability ranking: Where the livin' is easiest | The Economist

Media_httpmediaeconom_ibwvg

From the report:

"Cities that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density. This often fosters a broad range of recreational availability without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure. Seven of the top ten scoring cities are in Australia and Canada, where population densities of 2.88 and 3.40 people per sq km respectively compare with a global (land) average of 45.65 and a US average of 32."

'Sometimes you don't need a whole donut of funding, you need a timbit' « Genius MicroGrants. The Awesome Foundation – Toronto

From the site:

We are the Toronto Chapter of the Awesome Foundation.

Awesomeness-at-Large

The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe.

The Foundation distributes a series of monthly $1,000 grants to projects and their creators. The money is given upfront in a paper bag full of cash by a group of ten self-organizing “micro-trustees,” who form autonomous chapters around geographic areas or topics of interest.

The Foundation provides these grants with no strings attached and claims no ownership over the projects it supports. (Detailed FAQ.) It is, in the words of one of our trustees, a micro-genius grant for flashes of micro-brilliance.

Since its humble beginnings, many Awesome Foundation chapters have sprung up globally to conserve, sustain, and support the worldwide ecosystem of awesomeness. Projects have included efforts in a wide range of areas including technology, arts, social good, and beyond.

Awesomeness-at-Home

As we are just getting underway, the Toronto group is open to any and all ideas. What would you do with $1000 to improve our city? Or to make it more fun? Or to prove a point? Or to solve a problem?

Themes that interest us are design, urban planning, art and science. The ideal project has elements of those mixed with a legitimate and important social mission.

Of course, all of this is subject to change on-the-fly for no better reason than we feel like it that day.